10/06/2021
This is our cousin Luana. This picture shows she and Gemma weeding the stone wall together, as she patiently instructed which plants to leave and which to remove. We were supposed to have more time with her. She was supposed to teach us how to tend to the olives and the grapes, how to make olive oil and wine. We foolishly thought she’d be around forever. We lost her to cancer, right after we lost our Mother last winter. Essentially, her home is the other half of Casa Fanelli. Our grandfather and her father were brothers, living in a large house divided down the middle. She cooked for us and cared for us whenever we spent time there. The relationship started off shaky, as she and our father were not fans of each other. He was the American cousin who came back to claim his side of the ancestral home. For decades, since we were kids, fighting ensued, but in the end, after we gained her friendship and trust, she and our father sat with us and broke bread together at the table.
Luana, we will miss you so, you were a true Zia to us!
Con amore, Marina & Gemma
